‘Digital arrest’ duped girl of Rs 2.5 lakh
With the advent of the digital age, the cases of digital frauds and crimes are on the rise. Earlier this month, a 23-year-old woman from Faridabad in Haryana was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh and "arrested digitally" by cyber criminals, police said, reported PTI.
According to the police, an FIR was registered earlier this month based on a complaint filed by the woman. According to her complaint, she received a call on October 12 and the caller introduced himself as a customs officer in Lucknow. She was told by the caller that a parcel containing a large number of passports and other cards was being sent to Cambodia using her Aadhaar number. She was advised by the caller to register a complaint with the police or else she would have to appear in a court in Lucknow.
Video call and ‘digital arrest’
The woman received a call on Skype and the caller introduced a few men in police uniform. One of the men in police uniform informed her that an FIR was already registered against her. In her complaint, the woman said the man in police uniform named a bank official and told her that he was accused of human trafficking and she was associated with him.
"They also cited some complaints in which people have said that they have given money to me to send children abroad and (I) duped them of around Rs 3.80 crore. Later a man posing as a CBI officer told me that I have to pay five per cent of the amount, that is Rs 15 lakh, and when I expressed my inability, he said that they are arresting me digitally," the woman said.
Duped of money
She said the cyber criminals instructed her not to log off Skype. In the meantime, she had transferred Rs 2.5 lakh to a bank account shared by the accused. "After this, he kept pressuring me to tell him my father's ATM card details. After several days of efforts, when the accused were not successful in taking more money, they told me that now they are ending my digital arrest and I can log out of my Skype account," she said.
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Fear and lack of awareness
Fear is a powerful tool often used by cybercriminals and fraudsters to manipulate individuals and exploit their vulnerabilities for illicit gains in the realm of cybercrime and financial fraud.
While 'digital arrest' is a fake and made-up thing, it basically revolves around monitoring a person through audio-video calls. They are not allowed to disconnect and neither reveal that they are being monitored to anyone. If someone threatens to 'digitally arrest' you posing as police or CBI, it is important to inform your family members and your nearest police station. Do not be afraid.
Role of family
During the time when the girl was on ‘digital arrest for 17 days’, she could not tell anything to her family, who were also living in the same house, as per reports. Her family members thought that the girl was doing some important work on the laptop. Protecting children from cybercrime and fraud in today's digital age is crucial. Start by having conversations about online safety, cyber threats, and the importance of privacy. Teach children about the risks of sharing personal information, interacting with strangers online, and the consequences of clicking on suspicious links or downloading unknown files.
Monitor your child's online activities by being involved in their digital world. Supervise younger children during their online sessions and maintain an ongoing dialogue about their online experiences. Encourage them to talk openly about any concerns or incidents they encounter online. Foster an environment where children feel comfortable discussing their online experiences without fear of punishment.